1. What was your first vintage
acquisition and where is it now?
When I was
approximately 6 years old, I went with some of the older neighborhood children
to a High School Fair and there was a White Elephant table. I purchased a
pretty woven pearl choker. I still have it after all these years and it's
in my jewelry box!
2. What was your favorite or best buy
ever?
This is a tough one
to call as there have been many wonderful finds throughout the years. I
have always said that you don't find things....they find you, and in this
instance that certainly applied. I worked for nine years at our City
Public Library. The lady who was the assistant to the Head Librarian, had
a close childhood friend who lived in Richmond, Virginia. One day, Susie,
who knew I loved collecting vintage clothing and vintage costume jewelry, asked
if I would be interested in a bunch of old odds and ends that Eve was going to
donate to a thrift store. And, of course, I said YES!
Eve sent the
items in a brown paper bag and upon first glance there appeared to be an
assortment of mismatched parts. I emptied the bag on my desk at the
Library and began looking closely at what was there, and soon realized if I
could find the pieces to a few things, there were some wonderful treasures
before my very eyes! I offered her $150 for the bag, which at the time
seemed a crazy price to pay.....I was, in fact, taking a great chance that
everything would be there! Susie said she knew Eve would be most happy to
take my offer as she had not expected to get anything for the items. After
a number of hours of work....piecing together the puzzles....among the items
purchased were a marvelous strand of large Victorian Scottish Agate beads with
the original clasp, a lava cameo brooch and matching earrings and several
mourning items made from jet. These precious items would have been cast in
the trash and lost forever had they reached their original destination, as I
suspect no one would have realized the treasures in that little brown paper
bag!
3. What was your most unusual buying
experience?
One Sunday afternoon, my
husband and son and I were out for one of our usual treasure hunts when we
stopped at a small antique mall in Smithfield, Virginia. We made stops
here every now and then to see what was new from the vendors. I had never
really found anything of note here, but on this particular Sunday, I happened to
look in a showcase filled with small tools and what I like to say was mostly
things that men would admire and there, right before my very eyes, was a
beautiful Victorian bangle. I immediately recognized that it was probably
from the 1860's-1870's time period and just knew it was wonderful. I could
hardly contain myself long enough to find someone to open the case, but finally
found a nice gentleman who was working the case. When he opened the case,
I couldn't help but think how unlikely this dainty item appeared sitting among
the many tools. I purchased the piece and when I got home that evening, I
was most happy with my purchase of an 18kt. gold Victorian Etruscan style bangle
bracelet set with a coral bead and a small rose cut diamond. In the back
of the bracelet was a compartment for hair with the original glass covering.
The bracelet was priced at $15.00 and there was 10% discount offered by
the dealer! It always pays to leave no stone unturned.
4. If you had a time machine which
decade or year would you choose to go back to and bring back
some clothing or jewelry?
The clothing and jewelry from the
1940's has always held a special attraction for me.
5. What are your favorite, most helpful
reference materials/sources?
Even though I now use the Internet
quite extensively for research ( Vintage Fashion Guild is absolutely a gold
mine), I still have several wonderful books that I love to peruse for reference.
For jewelry, I think I have used the books written by C. Jeanenne Bell and
Christie Romero (she wrote for Warman's) so many times. Jeanenne's
"Answers to Questions About Old Jewelry 1840-1950 is very helpful for
identification. For clothing, I have used so many.....Antique Trader
Vintage Clothing Price Guide edited by Kyle Husfloen and Madeleine Kirsch is a
good basic beginner guide, as well as Antique & Vintage Fashions, 1745 to
1979 written by Barbara Johnson, Ph.D. Auction catalogs are great resource
books, too! Since I love hats, I have enjoyed 1000 Hats written by Norma
Shephard and Vintage Hats & Bonnets 1770-1970 written by Susan Langley.
I never tire of looking and reading books about some of my very favorite
things in the world....Vintage Clothing and Jewelry!
6. What item were you most tempted to
keep that is available in
your shop right now?
Another hard choice, as I love all of my "children" so to speak, but if I
have choose, I would pick item #166.....a beautiful red silk evening dress
designed by Hanae Mori. The material is so gorgeous and the dress is
simple elegance!
